GRID 2 is a fine racing game on the track, but it's a questionable package when taken in its entirety.

Blackguards is tolerable, if plodding, but I don't have anything nicer to say about it.

I could bring up a dozen more problems, major and minor, with the game, but what's the point? Montague's Mount doesn't have interesting puzzles or a structure that ties them into a coherent work about mental illness, despite its heavy-handed announcement of that intent. I respect the aim, but the execution is terrible.

On the whole, Thief is a worthwhile entry into the stealth genre and genuinely better than many I've played, but it's hard to ignore the number of obvious things that it whiffs.

Left Behind is a fantastic piece of content, and Naughty Dog has again raised the bar for all developers who aim to tell character-driven stories. They just don't come better than this.

Despite the ho-hum storyline and a few minor pacing issues in the endgame ,it still comes pretty Ys-ey to recommend overall.

As far as handheld shooters go, Killzone: Mercenary is undoubtedly the new gold standard and, quite frankly, makes a mockery out of its handheld peers.

I'm sure some players will get a kick out of throwing each other into pits or causing chaos in a cat suit, but 3D World stands squarely in the shadow of other, greater entries in the series.

Even with the second-screen setbacks and the wonky in-game commentary, the Director's Cut of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is still the best version of the game.

Boiling it all down, Lighting Returns is a flashy combat system lacking some basic components that's wrapped up in soporific item hunts and fetchquests that don't feel worthy of the time that's required to do them.

It won't win over people who aren't already inclined to appreciate visual novels (because, you know, reading...) but for those who don't mind something a little more cerebral, it comes absolutely recommended.

While Armature definitely made a few bad calls when putting Blackgate together, I greatly enjoyed this new style of Batman, and didn't have too much heartburn over the rough patches.

A Link Between Worlds is a Zelda for people who have become disillusioned with Zelda over the years. It recalls the series' roots while also taking unique advantage of the 3DS hardware to create something that feels new. They may not make them exactly like they used to anymore, but Link Between Worlds shows that they still recognize what made them great in the first place.

While people pinching every penny might want to hold off since this DLC such a quick play, those in the mood for a little eggnog with the Saints would do well to ring in this holiday Third Street style.

Wearing its weirdness and humour like a badge of honor, Guided Fate Paradox is a fresh take on the Roguelike genre with a quirky tale and dialed-back difficulty that ensures it's accessible to all audiences.

All That Remains is a bit rougher than I would've liked and not much got established, but I have confidence that the team at Telltale can turn out a good experience. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Stick It To The Man is a short, uncomplicated project that lives and dies by the quality of its writing, and to its credit, that writing is strong enough to support the entire experience.

Perhaps it's still too experimental and difficult than the sixth entry in a series ought to be, but despite everything, RE6 offers top-tier cinematic action and series-high storytelling. For fans who've yet to try it, the PC version is the right choice.

I enjoyed every minute of it, and it's rare to find something that radiates as much pure joy as this does. I can't say enough good things about it.

The use of Marvel characters is great, and the core idea of connecting special abilities to matching crystals is just as good now as it was back in the original Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. I was a huge fan of that title, and Marvel Puzzle Quest proves itself to be a worthy new-school successor.

Overall The Banner Saga's an enjoyable product, just one that lets itself down in several key ways. It's almost where it needs to be, but these niggling issues prevent it from reaching its full potential. That said, it's a damn fine-looking game with quality writing at a reasonable price, and still comes fairly recommended for anyone looking to flee for their lives in a harsh and unforgiving environment.

I have absolutely no idea what caused Knack to be the kind of game that is, because it just doesn't make any sense. Whether it's the case of being a a vanity project that went unchecked or just another could-have-been that lost its way while rushing to meet the PS4's launch date, the bottom line is that it's a misguided title too simple for adults and too difficult for children.

Strength of the Sword falls short of what it could have been, though it does come close (at times) to achieving its lofty goals. Tighter controls, a balanced approach to item use and a more restrained use of cinematic effects would go a long way towards getting it where it needs to be. It's just not quite there yet.

In attempting to juggle so many balls at once, it simply loses control and bats them all over the place in a crazed, lurching frenzy as it tries to stop the whole thing from falling apart.

Crimson Dragon is clumsy, frustrating and often downright hideous. I realize that the Xbox One's launch lineup was pretty underwhelming, but even those new owners desperate for software to play on it should keep Crimson Dragon low on their lists.

With Conviction, the Splinter Cell series seemed to be veering off course, but Blacklist thankfully grabs the wheel and gets it back on track.

Xcom: Enemy Within is a decent expansion to a slightly flawed original.

Not only is Dead Rising 3 a must-play for anyone who's ever enjoyed a zombie game, it accomplishes a task I would have thought impossible six months ago - it's a launch title that makes buying an XBONE worth the money.

For children who are fans of Mysterious Cities of Gold, it’s likely a serviceable companion piece. For everybody else out there, this game isn’t worth the time.

With top-tier writing and characterization, Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory does its series proud.

It’s a shame Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness is a direct sequel. Despite niggling issues and a lackluster story compared to the original, it’s the most forgiving Disgaea to date. I woudn’t say it welcomes new players, but it streamlines things that took a long time without good reason and, in general, is the easiest Disgaea to play.

Even if multiplayer wasn't buggy, Battlefield 4 would still only be a barely passable installment in all respects besides the snazzy graphics. EA and DICE played it safe by providing the same thing they did the last time around, with another phoned-in campaign and only minor alterations to the online.

Knock-Knock could have been amazing; with a slightly different outcome on that early night, and if the mystery gets its hooks in before the mechanics start souring the experience, it could have been a tense nail-biter. As it happened, I got fed up with Knock-Knock long before its secrets surfaced, and I was happier to break the game than to continue playing along.

After completing the campaign and getting in what multiplayer I could, I walked away from CastleStorm feeling satisfied and impressed in nearly every respect.

I certainly appreciate what Deadfall Adventures was going for and I'm always open to adventuring on a less-than-AAA scale, but the over-reliance on shooting and the abysmal voice acting knock this afternoon-matinee romp down a few pegs.

Arguably, the racing genre doesn't create classics anymore. Publishers merely try to make the least offensive version of their franchise for that year. Owing to this truth, NFSR succeeds at not being offensive. Sure, it's just bumper cars at its core. Just cats chasing mice. But sometimes that's enough.

Gamers looking for a sizable chunk of new content to burn through should probably steer clear since it’s over in the blink of an eye, but fans of the Saints experience can look forward to something that’s totally bizarre, yet still completely in line with the smart new slant of the series. Also, there are dinosaurs.

There's enough new content in Mindgames to keep it from feeling like a shakedown, but it would have been nice if the devs had addressed The Pit’s flaws without forcing a new purchase.

This is a game that could have badly used more polish. Still, it does many things I like, and if Zootfly brings this hero back for another colorful adventure, I'd be willing to give him a second chance.

For players like me who felt that City went astray, Origins is definitely worthy of attention… Just make sure it’s fully patched before starting

Potential frustration aside, I enjoyed my time with Forced, and there’s nothing else quite like it on the market. Slightly tighter mechanics and a more solid feel to the combat would have been nice, but as a whole it definitely comes recommended —just be ready for the air to turn blue from time to time when it comes to multiplayer.

If Ryse were a longer game full of interesting foes that deserved to be brutally chopped to pieces, it could have been great. Instead, it has to settle for being almost there.

The best twin-stick shooters made up for their lack of 3D by adding personality, gameplay variety, and over-the-top ludicrousness. Narco Terror decided to add the third dimension, but then left out anything that might make someone want to play. An interesting choice, but not a worthwhile one.

Scribblenauts Unmasked has a mildly diverting quest mode, but everything else about it is so sloppily constructed as to be borderline unplayable.

As a fan of the series and also as a father who's always looking for quality games for his kids to get into, Skylanders: Swap Force is easy to recommend. It looks great, it plays great, it's appropriate for all ages, and it's a genuine improvement on what the series has delivered in the past.

The difficulty, along with an unimpressive combination of uninspired aesthetics, unnecessarily long load times, and a generic feel, make the game, as its title suggests, a disappointingly alien experience.

Even though it has little to do with real chemistry, Sokobond poses some interesting challenges. It's not especially memorable, but it will supply a few hours of solid puzzling.

With an interesting main storyline, creative enemies, and fundamentally solid gameplay, it's too bad that that Arcania: The Complete Tale's technical flaws prevent it from being a must-play. There aren't enough decent action-RPG hybrids for console players as it is, and Arcania isn't going to do much to fix that.

After playing Heavy Rain, it seemed like Quantic Dream was heading in the right direction, but Beyond: Two Souls takes two big steps backward.

Taken on its own, though, Lego Marvel Super Heroes does not offer much that an adult player will find engaging, let alone competent.

In short, Alien Rage just isn't very good. If it had nailed the combat, all its other flaws could perhaps be forgiven—but it didn't, so they can't. It's a terrible thing to say, but in a game stuffed to the gills with Xenomorphs, the most alien thing in the entire package is any sense of enjoyment whatsoever.

These rough edges don't take much away from the overall experience, though. How to Survive is a great adventure from start to finish, the ending was great, and I can't remember the last time that I enjoyed collecting wooden sticks, seagull feathers and protein-rich roots as much as I did here.

As wonderful as Gone Home is, it mostly demonstrates that there's still a long way to go.

With a lack of both polish and ambition, Dark will never be anything but an also-ran. As a budget title it's a passable entry-level stealth game, but there's not enough here to justify recommending it when there are so many superior games in the genre. When a game's best selling points are that the stealth is predictable and that the player is a vampire, something has gone terribly wrong.

Cognition's take on a psychic FBI agent is far from perfect, but worth investigating.

Rain tries to emulate the form of others, while totally failing to capture the same substance. The result? A forgettable also-ran that feels more like the product of a committee than someone trying to bring their vision to life.

Technical issues aside, anyone craving more of the sort of stuff Telltale was serving up with Lee and Clementine would be well-advised to check into The Wolf Among Us.

After everything I've written, it should be quite clear to XCOM fans that The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is an entirely different kettle of fish despite sharing a few superficial elements. If the developers hadn't tried to connect the two, I suspect that more people might be pleasantly surprised by what it offers—a fantastically detailed 60's setting, an interesting approach to squad-based shooting, and a genuinely surprising sci-fi story that's told with panache.

Encrufted as it is with uninteresting puzzles, murky visuals, and self-defeating enemy encounters, A Machine for Pigs's better ideas end up just as thoroughly buried as Mandus's diabolical factory.

As much as I like the idea of adventuring with a wooden boy on a magical stage, Puppeteer is one of those unfortunate projects that starts off in a great direction and then fails to flesh out and support the premise. It certainly looks great and the voicework is top-notch, but with a script, characters and gameplay as flat as the theatrical props the game emulates, its charm wears off long before the final act.

I hate to be down on a small title trying to do something different and interesting, but I just couldn't get over the fact that Kickbeat felt more like a work in progress rather than something that was ready for prime time. With a better, more varied soundtrack and a little more exploration of how the martial arts theme could be applied to expanding the current game design, a sequel should be a real knockout. I genuinely hope the dev team gets the chance to make it.

Even with as many downs as ups, Grand Theft Auto V is still a significant achievement in design. Playing missions from multiple perspectives is a creative spark that will surely light up the next generation, and I'm confident the Housers have even bigger ambitions. They'll keep building upon this template and inch tantalizingly closer to creating their perfect game. GTA5 isn't it, but its flashes of brilliance will endure.

Those flaws are easy to forgive in light of what the game gets right, though. As a reviewer who's constantly in search of games which try new things or buck expectations, Lost Planet 3 was quietly, calmly fantastic. Everything about it has a very mature, measured approach which sets it apart from the pack, and the character work on display is some of the best I've seen in quite some time.

Still, it's easy enough to recommend Outlast despite the weaknesses. As far as atmosphere goes, it's at the top of its class and the journey throughout is a well-constructed one, for the most part. It occasionally dips too heavily into common video game contrivances—three fuses littered around the area, three switches for a door, scrounging for batteries, that sort of thing—but it's still a gruesomely enjoyable tale despite its flaws.

That said, the original Etrian Odyssey was a rough, brutal and vaguely experimental experience that I managed to complete out of sheer tenacity. In contrast, Millennium Girl takes the same content and makes it a thousand times more beautiful, approachable, and enjoyable for an all-new audience.

When all's said and done, Race the Sun is a solid offering and I'm sure some players will undoubtedly end up hooked on the thrill of the daily leaderboard battles. On the other hand, some (including me) will come away feeling that the final product is a bit too limited to reach the potential it holds.

Despite these minor blemishes, Rogue Legacy is an engaging game that holds up over numerous trips through its diabolical castle.

Wayforward Technologies has done an excellent job of taking an old classic and giving it a fresh update for a new generation.

The combat also shows surprising depth, although the secondary systems don't quite measure up. It's not groundbreaking or deep, even in the context of its own series, but Tales of Xillia was engaging and satisfying.

That Shelter is not a particularly convincing simulation of being a badger is no real sin—I doubt many people want to play a game about eating earthworms all day. The game's real failure is that it's not an emotionally compelling representation of parenthood. It convincingly shows that the cubs need their mother, but fails to convey the possibility that they can ever not need her.

While digging in a hole might not seem like the most entertaining thing to do in a game that's doesn't have "craft" in the title, SteamWorld Dig successfully delivers its own unique style of subterranean gameplay thanks to a great balance between managing the mine, chasing upgrades and having just enough story to keep me curious without getting bogged down in too much lore.

Between the tedious levels, incoherent story and offputting gigolo missions, I found very little to appreciate about Killer is Dead. I grew quite tired of the shallow game design and weak attempts to distract me from its vacuous lack of substance, and put the game down before rolling credits.

I'm all for interesting choices and humor when making a game, but the appeal of a one-trick pony like Divekick wore off after just a few minutes. Like, five. Perhaps people steeped in the fighting game scene or those with friends (and beer) nearby might get more out of it than I did, but I can't imagine that many players will find value in this drawn-out gag.

Overall, Dusty Revenge feels like a game that needed just a little more time and polish. If the combat could be tightened, interface bugs fixed, and load times could be reduced, this would be a solidly enjoyable title. Perhaps patches will be released to address these flaws, but as it is, Dusty Revenge takes a shot at 2D brawling and misses the mark.

SMT IV gets the details of grinding right, but it seems the devil was elsewhere.

The Dungeons & Dragons titles were some of the most evolved side-scrolling fighters of their day, with design and gameplay concepts that made them stand out from their contemporaries. However, a $15 price-tag makes it tough to recommend the package to anyone who wasn't already a big fan back in the day.

Zeno Clash II, like the original, is an interesting game. It falls slightly flat in the gameplay, but it's largely balanced by the world being so damn interesting to experience and wander around in.

Time and Eternity's veneer is gorgeous, but style doesn't trump substance—and the substance here leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Toki and Towa may love Zach the Alleged Protagonist, but I sure don't.

Out of the Park Baseball 14, like it predecessors, does exactly what it sets out to do-it provides the hardcore fan with the most detailed front office sim experience possible.

A generally joyous experience that exceeded my expectations with some of the most unabashedly entertaining play I've had all year. I have nothing but respect for the developers' attempts to right their listing ship, and with the best writing the series has ever seen, a fresh approach to the material and a strong structure underneath the crazy, they were wildly successful in doing so.

The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief may be a refreshing change of pace from the majority of video games on the market and a charming nod to to good, old traditional murder mysteries in the Agatha Christie vein, but as a single chapter in a three-game arc, it's too brief to satisfy, too buggy to impress, and not particularly captivating or engaging. I suppose that makes it a reasonably decent diversion then, but not one that's likely to stick with players for any length of time after the credits roll.

These three chapters are what this new DLC offers to Metro fans, and I have to say that if it weren't for the Kshatriya chapter, the value of spending money on the other two chapters would be questionable as they're very similar to situations and gameplay mechanics found in the main story. Kshatriya alone makes it all worthwhile however, featuring reasonably generous and unique additional content in a DLC pack which won't break the bank.

Developers as brave as these should be recognized and celebrated for their efforts, and players who crave something deeper and more meaningful than another shooter with talky cut-scenes would do well to take this journey.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 does a mediocre job of offering up a shooting gallery, but it's so limited in scope that it's almost impossible to recommend to anyone who doesn't feel a strange sense of arousal whenever they imagine popping a bullet into someone's head at several hundred yards. Well, whenever Diaz finally tells them to, of course.

I find that with League of Legends, Riot has cultivated one of the most unique spaces in gaming history—mostly for good reasons but also for some awful ones, and in the gaming museum of the future, League is sure to have its own wing.

It feels a bit petulant to complain about the plot, though.It's clear that the real focus of Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale is to immerse players in a bygone era of innocence which I'm sure reflects the personal experiences of the development team, and I can certainly appreciate it for that.

At its best, Storm is a curiously relaxing, tranquil, and almost meditative experience. At its worst, it's an irritating and cumbersome exercise in physics-based frustration which only gets less enjoyable as the puzzles ramp up in difficulty. It may have a fresh, vibrant aesthetic, but the actual gameplay doesn't match up to the potential it clearly has.

Less of a platformer and more of a straight puzzler, Toki Tori 2 is right up the alley of those that love games requiring unconventional thinking. Its easy controls and basic gameplay ensure that anyone can pick it up and try it, while its difficulty curve, frequent sticking points and general lack of explanation means that only the most determined will finish it.

The lack of half-naked men aside, it's impossible not to see what a superior, rewarding effort Dragon's Crown turned out to be—it looks great, it feels great, it's smart and deep, and it utterly revitalizes a genre that went stale years ago. Without overstating the case, this game is a must-play tour-de-force that surprised the hell out of me, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Although I've spent more time in this review on the rough spots of The Walking Dead: 400 Days than I did on what was right, it's still refreshing to play a title that puts its focus on something besides large-scale slaughter, and Telltale's take on The Walking Dead remains one of the most compelling intellectual properties in gaming today. If my biggest criticism of 400 Days is that there wasn't enough of it, that can only be seen as a good thing.

The Call of Juarez series has had its ups and downs over the years, but Gunslinger stands proud—not only against its own checkered past, but against the FPS genre as a whole. It may not be a subtle or particularly nuanced experience, but it's certainly a cracking good time delivered with a style and confidence that's rarely seen in a full-priced title, let alone a $15 download.

The core idea of a balancing a strategy game with limited player control is intriguing, but I found the execution of that idea, and the representations it used, unsatisfying. Arcen has made an ongoing and admirable effort to keep tweaking the game (although some patches have rolled out insufficiently tested), but I'm just not sure that anything they can do will address the essential dullness of its opening and closing phases.

It may not look fantastic and certain mechanics shouldn't have been resurrected along with the rest of the game, but Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded succeeds at being a brief bit of naughty fun—and since it never aimed any higher, that definitely counts as a win.

The Oracle continues Cognition's pattern of uneven episodes. It cleverly uses Erica's powers to get around a major storytelling problem, and in that respect it's a great success. On the other hand, the tight quarters and indifferent puzzles make the game less interesting to play than its predecessors, while the dumb, unpleasant characters make it a less enjoyable story.

The developers had a full year to get this game ready for consoles and bring it up to the level of current RE titles. Instead of doing that, they shifted the graphics from 3D to HD. What a waste.

Although I badly want to like The Denpa Men 2: Beyond the Waves more than I do, the honest truth is that it's a hell of a lot of work for a game that's basically nothing but grinding through dungeons. If the difficulty and frequency of encounters were just a bit lower, the insanely high cute factor would be able to carry the experience and I probably would have powered through. Instead, it's way, way too much effort for too little return—my patience and stamina wore out long before the credits rolled.

While the launch price of $8 feels a dollar or two too high, I definitely enjoyed the game (when I wasn't stuck) and felt satisfied when it was over. I would recommend it to players interested in the genre, and especially to those who prefer puzzles with a foothold in actual logic. Players interested in elegant, small-scale design might also learn a thing or two from this tasteful interstellar jaunt, as well.

Remember Me gets off on the right foot with an impressive opening and a rare female protagonist, but the overall experience of both gameplay and storytelling is too heavily guided and lacking in depth.